Kyle Lukoff is a children's book author, school librarian, and former bookseller.[1] He is most known for the Stonewall award-winning When Aidan Became a Brother and for Call Me Max, which gained attention when parents in Texas[2] complained about the book being read in an elementary school classroom and a Utah school district canceled its book program after the book was read to third graders.[3]
Kyle Lukoff | |
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| Born | June 5, 1984 Skokie, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | School librarian |
| Alma mater | Barnard College |
| Notable works | When Aidan Became a Brother, Too Bright to See |
| Website | |
| kylelukoff | |
Personal life
Lukoff is a transgender man, who transitioned in 2004[4] while an undergraduate at Barnard College, a historically women's college. Much of his work centers on transgender children. He is Jewish.[5]
Education
Lukoff went to Edmonds-Woodway High School then graduated from Barnard College[6] in 2006. While at Barnard, he was a member of Columbia University's Philolexian Society.[7] He earned his Master's degree in library science from Queens College in 2012.[8]
Career
Lukoff was a school librarian at the Corlears School in New York City[9] until he quit his job to write full time in 2020. His first book, A Storytelling of Ravens, was published in 2018 by House of Anansi Press and illustrated by Natalie Nelson.[10] His second book, When Aidan Became a Brother, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita,[11] is a story about a transgender boy awaiting a new sibling.[12] The book was published by Lee & Low, an independent publisher known for works by unpublished authors and illustrators of color.[13]
Lukoff's Max and Friends series was released in November 2019 with Call Me Max, illustrated by Luciano Luzano.[14] In April 2020, he published Explosion at the Poem Factory and was illustrated by Mark Hoffman.[15] In 2021, he published Too Bright to See, which won the Stonewall award and a Newbery Honor,[16] and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.[17] He also wrote Different Kinds of Fruit
Publications
Books
- A Storytelling of Ravens, 2018
- When Aidan Became a Brother, 2019
- Call Me Max, 2019
- Max and the Talent Show, 2019
- Explosion at the Poem Factory, 2020
- Max on the Farm, 2020
- Too Bright to See, 2021
- Different Kinds of Fruit, 2022[18]
- Mermaid Days #1: The Sunken Ship, 2022[19]
- If You're a Kid Like Gavin,[20] 2022, with Gavin Grimm
- Mermaid Days #2: The Sea Monster, 2022
- Awake, Asleep, 2023
- Mermaid Days #3: A New Friend, 2023
- There's No Such Thing as Vegetables, 2024[21]
- I'm Sorry You Got Mad, 2024[22]
- Just What to Do, 2024[23]
Essays
Awards
- 2022 Winner: Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature for Too Bright to See[28]
- 2022 Honor: Newbery for Too Bright to See[28]
- 2021 Finalist: National Book Award, Young People's Literature for Too Bright to See[17]
- 2020 Winner: Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature for When Aidan Became a Brother[29]
- 2020 Honor: Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children.[30]